Easley recalled, becomes 4th catcher on roster

CINCINNATI -- Ed Easley was lying in bed inside his Memphis home on Thursday when he saw he had a missed call from a St. Louis-area number. He returned the call to find Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak on the line, offering him an invitation to join the Major League club in Cincinnati.

On Friday, four days after he thought his season had ended with Triple-A Memphis' final game, Easley, 29, was officially recalled. Manager Mike Matheny suggested the move was made to reward Easley for his strong season, not as an indication that there was a sudden need at the catching position. Easley becomes the fourth catcher on the Cardinals' roster.

"Anytime you have a chance to get back up here -- it doesn't matter how many days you have off -- you want to get back into the swing of things and play into my role," Easley said.

Easley logged three plate appearances during a previous stint with the big league team. With Memphis, he hit .251 in 88 games. Easley finished the season by going 11-for-26 with eight RBIs in his final eight starts.

"He had a solid season, and we believed he had done enough to be a part of this right now," Matheny said. "Just giving ourselves more guys to figure out how they can help out."

Worth noting

• About five hours before the scheduled first pitch, Kolten Wong (strained left calf), Matt Adams (right quad strain) and Matt Holliday (right quad strain) tested their health by running the bases. For Holliday, who has been sidelined since July 30, it was the first time he had run the bases since the injury. All three responded well to the latest mobility drills. Wong and Adams later joined teammates to participate in pregame infield practice.

• After playing catch on Friday, Matt Belisle (right elbow inflammation) visited with the training staff to see if they were ready to give him clearance to come off the disabled list this weekend.

• Randal Grichuk (right elbow strain) spent time pregame throwing at a distance of about 80 feet on the outfield grass. It was the first time he had thrown since playing center field on Wednesday with limitations.

• Major League Baseball handed Reds first baseman Joey Votto a two-game suspension for his altercation with a home-plate umpire on Wednesday. Votto, however, has appealed the suspension, meaning that he will not miss any games this series.

• After fouling four balls off his left foot/leg in the last three games, Mark Reynolds was out of the Cardinals' lineup on Friday. Reynolds, even with a sore foot, is available off the bench.

• As a tribute to those who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, all MLB uniformed personnel wore caps on Friday that featured an American flag patch. Those caps will be sold to raise money for the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, the Pentagon Memorial and the Flight 93 Memorial.